SHERLOCK HOLMES (2009) DVD and Special Edition Blu-ray Combo Pack (Reviewed by John J. Puccio)

—> See Link to our BD & DVD Reviews (below)

Nothing Escapes Him

"Witty, edgy, and action-packed."
—Thomas Dichiara (Moviefone)

"Downey plays Sherlock Holmes like a brilliant scoundrel, a brawler and braniac and all-around daredevil."
—(Box Office)

Witness the reimagining of the classic story...

Though Guy Ritchie (SNATCH) is best known for directing modern crime films set in England, he turns back the clock more than a century for this mystery inspired by Arthur Conan Doyle's classic characters. SHERLOCK HOLMES was developed based on a comic book by Lionel Wigram, and stars IRON MAN's Robert Downey Jr. as the titular detective. Jude Law (COLD MOUNTAIN) stars as Watson, while Rachel McAdams (THE NOTEBOOK) plays Holmes's rival Irene Adler.

SHERLOCK HOLMES on DVD and Special Edition Blu-ray Combo Pack » Now available
(Released March 30, including ON DEMAND)

Burbank, CA — Join the wild search for the ultimate clue with the arrival of Sherlock Holmes on Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD (March 30) from Warner Home Video. In this gritty, never before seen look at the London underworld, Robert Downey Jr. takes us beyond the legendary reputation of the brilliant sleuth and puts his spin on the quick-witted, bare-knuckled detective, Sherlock Holmes.

In a dynamic new portrayal of Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous characters, "Sherlock Holmes" sends Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson on their latest challenge. Revealing fighting skills as lethal as his legendary intellect, Holmes will battle as never before to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy the country.

Sherlock Holmes, with the aid of his trusted ally Dr. John Watson, is unequaled in his pursuit of criminals. He employs his own quirky and unique (albeit at times unconventional), methods to get to the heart of a case, traveling where no one else would think to go to find what others cannot see...

But now a storm is gathering, a threat unlike anything that Holmes has ever confronted. After a string of ritualistic murders, Holmes and Watson arrive just in time to save the latest victim and uncover the killer: Lord Blackwood. As he approaches his scheduled hanging, Blackwood warns Holmes that death has no power over him, and when that prediction comes true, London and Scotland Yard are left confounded. But to Holmes, the game is afoot. Racing to stop Blackwood's deadly plot, Holmes and Watson plunge into a world of the dark arts and new technologies, where logic is sometimes the best crime-fighting weapon.

From director Guy Ritchie (Snatch, RocknRolla), Sherlock Holmes stars Academy Award nominee Robert Downey, Jr. (Iron Man series, Chaplin, Tropic Thunder), Academy Award nominee Jude Law (The Talented Mr. Ripley, upcoming The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus), Rachel McAdams (Wedding Crashers, The Notebook) and Mark Strong (Body of Lies, RocknRolla, Syriana). For the musical accompaniment, composer Hans Zimmer used a banjo, cimbalom, squeaky violins, and a "broken pub piano".

Sherlock Holmes is now available on Blu-ray Combo Pack for $35.99 and on single disc DVD for $28.98. A forthcoming two-disc Special Edition DVD will be available at a later date (price not yet announced).

The Sherlock Holmes Blu-ray disc features the immersive Maximum Movie Mode, which includes walk-ons by director Guy Ritchie, eight focus points, 60 minutes of Picture-in-Picture commentary and BD-Live connectivity. Additional exciting BD-Live content will be announced in the coming weeks.

On March 30th, see Sherlock Holmes ON DEMAND through Digital Cable, Satellite TV, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 game consoles, or the film can be downloaded for rental or purchase on iTunes and Amazon Video On Demand.

Sherlock Holmes is a 2009 Academy Award nominated action mystery film in which important elements, including the protagonists Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, are borrowed from the well-known stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

The film was directed by Guy Ritchie and produced by Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram, Susan Downey and Dan Lin. The screenplay by Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham and Simon Kinberg was developed from a story by Lionel Wigram and Michael Robert Johnson.

In the film, Holmes investigates a series of murders, apparently connected to occult rituals. Lord Blackwood is the mysterious villain. The story culminates with a confrontation on top of Tower Bridge, still under construction.

Bonus Features: (Blu-ray Combo Pack)
Disc One: Movie + Bonus Features:
• WB Maximum Movie Mode (Feature Length):
- Director Guy Ritchie Walk On
- PIP
- Focus Points
- Storyboard Comparisons
- Still Gallery Timeline
Disc Two: More Features:
• "Sherlock Holmes: Reinvented" (16:17) - Together, Guy Ritchie and Robert Downey Jr. have reinvented Sherlock Holmes. See how these two reinterpret the master sleuth and how Downey prepares for the role and why his Thespian approach takes this classic character to levels never depicted before. Includes:
- "Drawbridges and Doilies": Designing a late Victorian London
- Not a Deerstalker cap in sight
- Ba-ritsu: A Tutorial
- Elementary English: Perfecting Sherlock's Accent
- Powers of Observation and Deduction
• BD-Live: Sherlock Holmes Soundtrack piece
• Bonus digital copy of the movie (WMV and iTunes files)
• Bonus DVD copy of the movie (3rd disc)

(2-Disc Special Edition bonus features linked below)
- EDITION NOT YET RELEASED

SHERLOCK HOLMES — Explore further:
—> Blu-ray Review by John J. Puccio »
EXCERPT: Dedicated Sherlock Holmes movie fans may find it takes some readjustment to get used to this 2009 version of the fictional consulting detective. This is not the Sherlock Holmes we've gotten to know from countless past movies nor quite the character Sir Arthur Conan Doyle described in his short stories and novels. This newly interpreted Sherlock Holmes is as much an invention of director Guy Ritchie and the film's star, Robert Downey, Jr., as it is a creation of the original author.

Nonetheless, that doesn't mean the new film or its characters don't work. Just think of them as a little different from how we've pictured them before. Not that Ritchie and Downey take all that many liberties, however. There is really nothing in the film beyond the new plot line that Doyle himself didn't at least mention in his stories. For instance, this new Holmes behaves more in the manner of a modern action hero than the purely methodical, deductive private investigator we've come to know.

What Ritchie and Downey do is embroider and magnify the traits Conan Doyle had already given his main character. It's just that in most of Doyle's stories, Holmes never has to resort to much physical activity. In the new movie, the filmmakers exploit Holmes's natural athletic abilities as well as his acquired talents to produce an amusing, action-packed thriller. If this Holmes smacks more of Tony Stark than of Conan Doyle, it's no accident.

What we get in Ritchie and Downey's reinvention of the Sherlock Holmes saga is a vigorous, resourceful, almost devil-may-care detective, still brilliant, witty, and arrogant but more prone to take chances than we've seen from the likes of previous actors in the part. Downey will not remind you of Clive Brook, Arthur Wontner, Reginald Owen, Basil Rathbone, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Roger Moore, Nicol Williamson, Christopher Plummer, Ian Richardson, Jeremy Brett, nor any of the countless other folks who have undertaken the role. Downey is unmistakably his own man, making this Sherlock Holmes a logical-minded tough guy, as memorable and as commendable as he is different.

No, don't fret about the plot. Instead, enjoy the characters, the acting, the action, the music, and the look of the film. For instance, Ritchie creates a wonderfully grimy atmosphere in the movie, a London of the late nineteenth century that is anything but picturesque. That colorful London fog we've all seen in countless other movies was in reality more of a London smoke and soot, and we see it everywhere in the city, even coating the front of Holmes's rooms on Baker Street. Ritchie and the filmmakers planned their recreation of London thoroughfares, street life, and clothing with deliberate care for period accuracy. This Holmes may not sport a deerstalker cap, but the outfits he does wear are authentic to the time. And Hans Zimmer's delightful musical score, nominated for an Oscar, probably should have won the award. It's one of the few soundtracks I wouldn't mind listening to again on CD.

If the movie has a weakness, though, it's Ritchie's propensity for long, nonstop action sequences, even when they're not entirely needed. Sure, it's an action movie above all, but unlike other Sherlock Holmes movies where our following the detective's deductions is the main attraction, in this movie it's the character's constant physical activity that draws our attention, with hardly a quiet moment in the whole affair. (I did like a relatively restrained restaurant scene with Holmes, Watson, and Watson's fiancée, Mary Morston. It plays effortlessly, draws upon an intelligent sense of humor, and offers a pleasing coda.) I just wished that things would have slowed down for more than a few minutes at a time. It also means, however, that there's never a dull moment. While leaving one rather breathless at times is hardly the kind of thing one thinks of in a Sherlock Holmes film, here we take it for granted.

Indeed, the style, the action, and the main characters in this Sherlock Holmes adventure are so different from the movies that have come before it, this entry does not fit neatly into the customary Holmes canon. Get used to it, because with the film's having taken in well over $200,000,000 at the box office, I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of Robert Downey, Jr. as Sherlock any more than we've seen the last of him as Iron Man. Especially when we see shadow of Holmes's arch nemesis, Professor Moriarity, lurking in the background.

Although "Sherlock Holmes" may not be the Sherlock Holmes film people were expecting, it's lively and exciting enough to hold the attention of most action-movie fans. Robert Downey, Jr. creates a brand-new interpretation of Holmes, and Jude Law makes a splendid, conservative contrast to his more-mercurial friend. What's more, the whole show is visually stunning, so even if the action doesn't excite you, Guy Ritchie's reconstruction of nineteenth-century London might interest you. Look, listen, and enjoy without thinking about it too much.

(Click thru the Link above for the full review)

For the review of the standard DVD edition, click here:
—> DVD Review by John J. Puccio »
Incidentally, I was a little surprised that the Wife-O-Meter liked the movie as much as I did, maybe more. She said she'd give it a 7 or 8/10, liking the movie's light, romantic adventure, its excitement and intrigue, and its endless good humor. Fair enough.

—> Visit the film's Official Site »
(from Warner Brothers)

—> View the Theatrical Trailer (w/HD) »
(from Apple.com Trailers website)

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some startling images and a scene of suggestive material

Film Synopsis:
Nothing Escapes Him
In a dynamic new portrayal of Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous characters, "Sherlock Holmes" sends Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson on their latest challenge. Revealing fighting skills as lethal as his legendary intellect, Holmes will battle as never before to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy the country.

Robert Downey Jr. brings the legendary detective to life as he has never been portrayed before. Jude Law stars as Holmes' trusted colleague, Watson, a doctor and war veteran who is a formidable ally for Sherlock Holmes. Rachel McAdams stars as Irene Adler, the only woman ever to have bested Holmes and who has maintained a tempestuous relationship with the detective. Mark Strong stars as their mysterious new adversary, Blackwood. Kelly Reilly will play Watson's love interest, Mary.

Sherlock Holmes has made his reputation finding the truth at the heart of the most complex mysteries. With the aid of Dr. John Watson, his trusted ally, the renowned "consulting detective" is unequaled in his pursuit of criminals of every stripe, whether relying on his singular powers of observation, his remarkable deductive skills, or the blunt force of his fists.

But now a storm is gathering over London, a threat unlike anything that Holmes has ever confronted... and just the challenge he's looking for.

After a string of brutal, ritualistic murders, Holmes and Watson arrive just in time to save the latest victim and uncover the killer: the unrepentant Lord Blackwood. As he approaches his scheduled hanging, Blackwood — who has terrorized inmates and jailers alike with his seeming connection to dark and powerful forces — warns Holmes that death has no power over him and, in fact, his execution plays right into Blackwood's plans.

And when, by all indications, Blackwood makes good on his promise, his apparent resurrection panics London and confounds Scotland Yard. But to Holmes, the game is afoot. Racing to stop Blackwood's deadly plot, Holmes and Watson plunge into a world of the dark arts and startling new technologies, where logic is sometimes the best crime-fighting weapon... but where a good right hook will often do the job.